What are preview deployments?
A preview deployment is a temporary, isolated deployment of a pull request branch to a unique URL. Instead of merging code blindly and hoping it works, every PR gets its own live environment — accessible to designers, QA engineers, product managers, and clients.
Preview deployments are the standard workflow on platforms like Vercel and Netlify. But until now, if you self-hosted your apps on a VPS, you had to set this up manually with complex Nginx configs, Docker containers, and custom scripts. DeployWise brings this workflow to your own infrastructure with zero manual configuration.
How preview deployments work in DeployWise
When you enable preview deployments for a project, DeployWise handles the entire lifecycle automatically:
A team member pushes a branch and opens a pull request on GitHub.
DeployWise receives the webhook event and begins building the branch automatically.
The PR is deployed to a unique URL like pr-123.yourapp.com on your own VPS.
Designers, QA, and stakeholders can review the changes in a real environment.
Once merged or closed, the preview deployment is automatically removed.
The entire process takes seconds. No manual deploys, no shared staging servers, no waiting for someone to free up the test environment.
Benefits for your team
Preview deployments transform how teams collaborate on pull requests. Instead of reviewing code in a diff view, your entire team can interact with the actual changes:
Every PR is testable in a production-like environment. No more “works on my machine” surprises.
Designers can review UI changes on an actual device instead of scrolling through screenshots.
QA engineers get a dedicated environment for each feature branch — no shared staging conflicts.
Share a preview link with product managers or clients. They see exactly what will ship.
Comparison: Vercel vs DeployWise vs manual staging
How does a self-hosted preview deployment stack up against Vercel's managed previews and the traditional manual staging approach?
| Feature | Vercel | DeployWise | Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preview URL per PR | |||
| Self-hosted / own VPS | |||
| Auto cleanup on merge | |||
| No per-seat pricing | |||
| Zero config setup | |||
| Custom domains | |||
| No bandwidth limits | |||
| Free for unlimited projects |
* Vercel custom domains for previews require Pro plan ($20/seat/month).
Use cases for preview deployments
Let designers interact with the actual build on their own devices before approving.
Test different implementations side by side with unique preview URLs for each variant.
Share a stable preview link with clients so they can review progress without touching production.
QA teams get isolated environments per feature — no stepping on each other’s work.
How to enable preview deployments in DeployWise
Setting up preview deployments takes less than two minutes:
- 1Connect your GitHub repo – Sign in with GitHub and select the repository you want to deploy.
- 2Add your VPS – Provide your server's IP address and SSH key. DeployWise handles the rest.
- 3Enable preview deployments – Toggle the preview deployment setting in your project configuration.
- 4Open a PR – That's it. Every new pull request automatically gets a unique preview URL.
Preview URLs follow the pattern pr-123.yourapp.com, and each one includes auto-provisioned SSL via Let's Encrypt.
Frequently asked questions
What is a preview deployment?
A preview deployment is an automatic, temporary deployment of a pull request to a unique URL. It lets your team review changes in a live environment before merging to production.
How are DeployWise preview deployments different from Vercel previews?
DeployWise preview deployments run on your own VPS instead of vendor infrastructure. You get the same workflow — open a PR, get a preview URL — but without per-seat pricing, bandwidth limits, or vendor lock-in.
Do preview deployments work with any GitHub repository?
Yes. DeployWise preview deployments work with any GitHub repository that uses pull requests. Connect your repo, enable preview deployments, and every PR automatically gets its own live URL.
Are preview deployments cleaned up automatically?
Yes. When a pull request is merged or closed, DeployWise automatically removes the preview deployment and frees up resources on your server. No manual cleanup required.
Get preview deployments on your own server
Every PR deserves a live URL. Start deploying previews for free — no credit card, no vendor lock-in.
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